A fleet of 16 dredging vessels owned and operated by CCCC Dredging Company (CDC), to be deployed in support of China’s port and infrastructure-building One Belt One Road Initiative, are to be fitted with Cobham SATCOM maritime antenna systems as part of a VSAT implementation project.

Dubai-based satellite services provider North Telecom has entered into a partnership agreement with Korean antenna manufacturer KNS, under which the companies will offer each other mutual support in building market share in the maritime communications sector.

KVH has introduced a new TracPhone LTE-1 marine communications antenna system and accompanying connectivity service designed to provide internet access via cellular networks in US waters out to a range of approximately 30km, with data download speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Navarino has announced a new partnership with Intellian for the supply of antenna equipment for the upcoming Navarino Ku-band VSAT service, expected to go live in Q3 of this year following Navarino’s recent announcement of a connectivity cooperation agreement with Intelsat.

Cruise company Carnival has completed the installation of Intellian’s v240MT tri-band and multi-orbit 2.4 metre antennas onboard several of its cruise vessels, the companies report, with the equipment having been specifically designed to deliver data rates exceeding 1 Gbps.

The maritime satcom market (both MSS and VSAT) will grow to more than 500,000 terminals in 2027, compared to 337,300 terminals in 2017, with revenues for satellite operators and maritime service providers to enjoy a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 per cent, according to the latest report from Euroconsult.